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The worst environment I have ever been placed in. Sure, it is the mecca of the deaf world. Once you see the bigger picture, you are realizing more now that you've gone to hell. Yes, two students got murdered there a few years back when I was there. The killer lived two floors above of me. I knew him and tutored his girlfriend. On the other hand, the student body is full of obnoxious and too proud deaf individuals. What makes me laugh about them is that they never really took the liberty to get out of the deaf world and be in the hearing world. About 95% of them are scared as shitless when placed there. Virtually almost nobody there can speak. It's very dominating in ASL. That is not a negative but an interesting fact. Security is absolutely nonexistent. You have a great chance of being either robbed, raped, or murdered. I am serious as a heart attack about that. I lived on a floor that consisted of three known rapists including my former roommate. Had my stereo stolen there once. The environment outside is dangerous. It is in the slums of northeast section whose crime rate is exceedingly high with lack of police protection. Education is nonexistent there. You can not study and have superior grades there. Believe me, it is so easy to get an A. The Honor Program is a fucking joke. I was a member of that program and did basically nothing but listen to professors to give masturbating lectures that did not stimulate me but rather, using the right word, bored me to sleep. The Honors Program director is Shirley something. I forget her name. She was incredibly mean to me because of the different environment I grew up. Gallaudet University is one of the most dangerously prejudiced place. If you grew up in the hearing world where you speak and lip read well/went to a tough school based on academic excellence, I guarantee you that you will never fit in Gallaudet University. The social world is superb, but when I got to know to the people more, I felt that they tended to have extremely high negative attitudes. That started to affect you in a very bad way since I preferred to associate with people who have positive attitudes. There are some nice people there I really have enjoy getting along with. The President Of Gallaudet University, I. King Jordan, deserves to be fired since he only cares about buildings. He spent nothing based on improving education. He doesn't have any care about the education. He only cares about the deaf things, the world of the deaf issues. I mean, this guy is a joke. The food tastes like trash. The student health center is full of fake doctors, giving out the wrong types of medication for various illness. Overall, I went to hell. I regret going there in the first place.

This is not a school where people go for the undergraduate education. It's a socially-oriented school. This is partly because it's the only liberal arts college in the world for deaf people. And many of them go simply because it is the next step in the deaf world after high school and decent-paying jobs are hard to get, especially if you are deaf. The historical problem of low-quality education for deaf people contributes to a cynical "who cares" mentality about higher education for the deaf. This lackadasical approach is apparent in nearly every facet of the school; from the apathy of the student body, to the poor quality of management of the university (mainly alumni-run), to the faculty's resignation to just making a living going through the motions teaching junior high level courses in what is supposed to be a university environment.

The president of the university spends little time focused on the quality of the education. Instead, his focus is on hobnobbing with corporate financial donors. He has pulled in millions over the last decade and spent most of it on extensive renovations and new buildings unjustified by enrollment numbers. Precious little of the money has gone to improving the quality of the education. He has squashed senior faculty members who point this out. And there is no research happening save for a bit of deafness-related genetic testing.

Gallaudet is also in a very run-down and dangerous section of Washington, DC. A hundred and fifty years ago, it was farm land. Now it is surrounded by slums, drug dealing, muggers, and bums. Gallaudet students are frequently robbed at gunpoint while walking in the nearby neighborhoods. There have been stabbings of students by intruders from off campus, as well as rapes, auto thefts, and even a car bombing. In short, this is a school I will never send my kids to for an undergraduate degree. I benefitted socially in some ways. Educationally, it was a wash and no challenge at all. I graduated with a 3.77 GPA and almost never studied. I am now self-employed and make good money, but Gallaudet has nothing to do with where I am at today.

I enjoy a challenge, and when I decided to attend Gallaudet, I knew no American Sign Language. I felt very accepted, and I enjoy the diversity. My classes are small which allow professors to get to know you. Like everywhere, if the professors see your interest and commitment, they will go the extra mile for you. My major is psychology, and the faculty help you understand research and support your effort to do your own research. The Psychology Department is a warm and friendly place with very engaged and committed teachers. I honestly belive that some people show up here expecting and easy ride, and when they realize that is not as easy as they thought, the talk negatively about the university. I will send my children here. I have been able to get work experience through my internship placement and the support I got from the department. Moreover, I was able to travel to Costa Rica to learn about other deaf cultures. What a wonderful opportunity!!! I hope no prospective student decide not to attend because they have read the foolishness some people have written.